Oriental musicians in the USA do have a hard time getting cases, accessories and stuff for their instruments. A simple trip to Walmart or Best buy does solve a lot of issues... really!
1. Erhu, Dizi and other instrument cases: shipping from Asia is often too expensive to justify the cost of the case, but we found a few alternatives: Gun cases, those with Pick-and-Pluck Foam works well. Found one in Walmart for $59.90 for dizi or erhu. Crush proof case, customisable foam(1.5 inches). A thicker one for Pipa and Guqin can be found on Amazon for under about $100. Higher quality than those cases made in China too! This may be one thing we should all think about.
2. Felt tabs for strings: Get those adhesive seal for keep drafts out (the type you stick on doors) - $5 gives you a 12 ft roll. dark colours and yet, cheap and very very sturdy.
3. Qian-Jin Nut Strings; truth being said, get the waxed-unscented dental floss. Its in fact sturdier and cleaner sounding than conventional erhu qianjin strings.
4. Emergency strings for Pipa and Ruan - Believe it! Guitar strings work! Have tried it. In fact, They work for Guzheng too! You may have to try out the lengths and check thickness. May not be the best tone, but for performances other than your solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall, they may save your day.
5. Lost your erhu bridge? The Birch rolling pins sold in Walmart (the type without a roller) makes a great material for it. In fact, you can use many woods, like Maple, Walnut and these may even be a start to your customised bridge collection. You can play around and look for the sound you like.
The list goes on and on... We can all contribute to this list for rescue our fellow musicians from a hefty buy of an empty box, or worse, having a lost instrument part, 1 day before the show!
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